Amy Winehouse is no stranger to public embarrassment. Drunken Red-Carpet appearances, lame-duck performances, and drug problems have made the bee-hived babe easy tabloid fodder. These monumental meltdowns have led many critics to declare her career on the decline, despite mainstream success and critical acclaim for her powerful, soulful throwbacks. After a cancelled tour, a stint in rehab and the recent incarceration of her husband, her verbal assault on fans at a recent performance in Birmingham, England may be the nail in the coffin.

But fans of funk need not fear. While devotees of Winehouse will surely be dismayed to find her career in such peril, they should take note of Amy’s backing band The Dap Kings. Funk vets, the Dap Kings have been making sweet, soulful tracks for the last ten years, first as the house band for DapTone Records, and then as the backing band for R&B songstress Sharon Jones.

The new album, 100 Days, 100 Nights, shows Jones’ more traditional soul/R&B voice finding space to fly within the Dap Kings’ brassier, more ska/reggaeton soul arrangements. Reminiscent of Booker T. and the MG’s or even the Specials, the Dap Kings keep the Winehouse sound alive even with the less fiery Jones rockin’ the mic.

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